All The Babes
Colleen Moore
- Born
- Aug 19, 1899
- height
- 5'3" (or 160 cm)
- nationality
- American
Career
Active 1916 – 1934
Biography
About Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore was born Kathleen Morrison on August 19, 1899, in Port Huron, Michigan. She began acting at around 16 and spent 18 years in the business, from 1916 to 1934. Moore became one of the most fashionable and highly paid stars of the silent era, and she helped popularize the bobbed haircut. She made 64 films in total. Of those, 30 survive in full, 7 are partially lost, and 27 are completely lost. She donated her films to the Museum of Modern Art, but poor preservation caused many to disintegrate beyond restoration, which deeply distressed her. Her first two talking pictures, 'Smiling Irish Eyes' and 'Footlights and Fools,' both from 1929, are lost except for their Vitaphone soundtrack disks. Her most celebrated film, 'Flaming Youth' (1923), is now mostly lost, with only one 11-minute reel surviving.
Moore took a hiatus from acting between 1929 and 1933, exactly when sound was being added to motion pictures. After she returned, her last four sound pictures failed financially: 'The Power and the Glory' (1933), 'Social Register' (1934), 'Success at Any Price' (1934), and 'The Scarlet Letter' (1934). She then retired permanently from screen acting.
After her film career, Moore maintained her wealth through astute investments and became a partner of Merrill Lynch. She also wrote a how-to book about stock market investing. She nurtured a passion for dollhouses and helped design and curate The Colleen Moore Dollhouse, which has been a featured exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago since 1949. The dollhouse measures 9 square feet and was estimated in 1985 to be worth $7 million. It is seen by 1.5 million people annually. Moore died on January 25, 1988, at age 88. She was an American actress with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5'3". She was straight and Caucasian.
Record
Profile details
Frequently asked
How many of Colleen Moore's films survive today?
Out of her 64 films, 30 are complete, 7 are partially lost, and 27 are completely lost. Notably, 'Flaming Youth' (1923) has only one 11-minute reel left.
What happened to the films Colleen Moore donated to the Museum of Modern Art?
She donated her films, but they were preserved so poorly that many disintegrated beyond restoration, which deeply distressed her.
Why did Colleen Moore take a hiatus from acting between 1929 and 1933?
She stepped away just as sound was being added to motion pictures. When she returned, her final four films were not financial successes, leading to her permanent retirement.
How did Colleen Moore's second career begin?
After retiring from acting, she made astute investments and became a partner of Merrill Lynch, eventually writing a how-to book about investing in the stock market.
What is the Colleen Moore Dollhouse?
It's a dollhouse Moore helped design and curate, on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago since 1949. It measures 9 square feet, was worth an estimated $7 million in 1985, and draws 1.5 million visitors a year.
Did you know
- Moore's birth name was Kathleen Morrison.
- She was one of the most fashionable and highly paid stars of the silent era and popularized the bobbed haircut.
- Her first two talking pictures, 'Smiling Irish Eyes' and 'Footlights and Fools' (1929), survive only as Vitaphone soundtrack disks.
- Her last four films were all released in 1933 and 1934, and none were financial successes.
- She became a partner of Merrill Lynch after her acting career.
- The Colleen Moore Dollhouse has been a featured exhibit in Chicago since 1949 and attracts 1.5 million visitors annually.
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